loneracer05
New member
can i keep sea horses and or pipefish with my balloon belly mollies? the tank is crawling with pods and macro algae also i have a boston bean boxfish with them. hes full grown now at about 3/4 of an inch
sea horses/ pipe fish with balloon belly mollies?
- Thread starter loneracer05
- Start date
Well I'm not saying it can't be done, but to start into the seahorse hobby it's best to go species only tank until you've got a lot of experience under your belt first, enough to know what to look for when you mix species.
Seahorses succumb primarily to bacterial infestations but the next cause of failure is due to pathogens that are introduced by having other fish, or indeed even other seahorses of the same species but from a different breeder.
Seahorses succumb primarily to bacterial infestations but the next cause of failure is due to pathogens that are introduced by having other fish, or indeed even other seahorses of the same species but from a different breeder.
loneracer05
New member
icic ... ive been reefing for along time even kept an octopus for about a year...im just looking for a new challenge. mabe ill try it and see
namxas
Things With Stings R Us!
I'd keep either the SH and mollies or the pipes and mollies, but I wouldn't mix Syngnathids as a novice SH keeper. I've had a pair of flagfin pipes decimate a teeming pod population in a fuge within a week, but it did fatten them up a bit which gave me some more time to get them onto frozen mysis.
Learn the basic requirements for SH or pipes and decide if they're for you.
Learn the basic requirements for SH or pipes and decide if they're for you.
I agree with Greg completely... I have mixed and had issues but I knew that I could lose either or both with my choice.
euromomtx
New member
I just rehomed my Mollies.
They seemed like a good idea for my Reidi seahorse tank:
fry for snacks, algae control, etc.
But the mollies started getting so feisty (not mean, just annoying to the seahorses) and hanging out in the seahorses' food dish, etc.
I think the seahorses are much happier since the mollies are gone. They even changed back to brighter colors. No more mollies for me...
They seemed like a good idea for my Reidi seahorse tank:
fry for snacks, algae control, etc.
But the mollies started getting so feisty (not mean, just annoying to the seahorses) and hanging out in the seahorses' food dish, etc.
I think the seahorses are much happier since the mollies are gone. They even changed back to brighter colors. No more mollies for me...
loneracer05
New member
Hmm mabe I wont try this ....any one else had a go at this?...If I do try it it will be only 1 species of ponys or pipes I know not to mix them. Also its a big tank 120 gallon so I don't think my pod population is that much at risk with just 1 or 2 pipes or ponys. But any and all advice is welcome.....how bout the boxfish ?he is very social and I've never seen him be aggressive.
I didn't know that there was a boxfish that was full grown at 3/4th an inch. I thought the smallest boxfish was around 4 inches?
I had black mollies in with my first horses, a reidi pair. They were wonderful at first. But once I started feeding the horses mysis, the mollies were no longer so keen on eating algae. The mollies didn't bother the horses, though, that I remember, but they did end up knocking mysis out of the feeding bowl.
I had black mollies in with my first horses, a reidi pair. They were wonderful at first. But once I started feeding the horses mysis, the mollies were no longer so keen on eating algae. The mollies didn't bother the horses, though, that I remember, but they did end up knocking mysis out of the feeding bowl.
loneracer05
New member
hmm thats a good pointt my mollies are agressive feeders. the boxfix is a boston bean and they stay small. 
I'm going to have to disagree with you on the boxfish. I still have yet to find a boxfish that is going to stay under 4". The fish that is commonly referred to as a "boston bean" is the Lactophrys spp. from the Western Atlantic. Fishbase has a max length for the two species of well over a foot. Are you certain that you did not mistake a "shipping" size for a "maxium" size?
It is going to be a challenge to feed your seahorses in a 120, although it can be done. What temp. are you keeping the tank at?
It is going to be a challenge to feed your seahorses in a 120, although it can be done. What temp. are you keeping the tank at?
loneracer05
New member
i have had the boxfish for 2 years or so and hr hasnt grown any larger after the first few months i had him.
Wow, do you have any idea what genus and species the fish is? I would love to learn more about it -- out of all the boxfish, cowfish, puffers and tobies that I am aware of, the smallest saltwater one is probably a toby, but they are still over 2" long. I'd also love to see a photo. (Sorry to get so off topic in this thread.)
TheZ
New member
This is a quick blurb from Robert J Fenner's book The Conscientious Marine Aquarist
"The Yellow Boxfish (Ostracion cubicus) is a perennial favorite of mine, especially as a bright yellow juvenile with black spots. It is a large fish in the wild, attaining some 18 inches. On a smaller scale, the Blue-spotted (male) and Black-spotted (female) Boxfish, (O. meleagris) is often seen as well. The so called "Boston Beans" that turn up seasonally in the fish shops are juveniles of various species of cowfishes and boxfishes, not a single species; they grow into a variety of adult forms."
From personal observation and experience, I can tell you that I agree with Robert Fenner. I have seen HUGE boxfish/trunkfish/cowfish in the wild, and have kept many species in captivity. They are very long-lived, but grow very slowly because of the nature of their bony platelike skeletons. Assuredly, given enough time, proper care, and adequate calcium levels in the water, they will get big (that is, of course, if it is a species that can do so)
"The Yellow Boxfish (Ostracion cubicus) is a perennial favorite of mine, especially as a bright yellow juvenile with black spots. It is a large fish in the wild, attaining some 18 inches. On a smaller scale, the Blue-spotted (male) and Black-spotted (female) Boxfish, (O. meleagris) is often seen as well. The so called "Boston Beans" that turn up seasonally in the fish shops are juveniles of various species of cowfishes and boxfishes, not a single species; they grow into a variety of adult forms."
From personal observation and experience, I can tell you that I agree with Robert Fenner. I have seen HUGE boxfish/trunkfish/cowfish in the wild, and have kept many species in captivity. They are very long-lived, but grow very slowly because of the nature of their bony platelike skeletons. Assuredly, given enough time, proper care, and adequate calcium levels in the water, they will get big (that is, of course, if it is a species that can do so)
NewbyReefer
Member
I have a SH in a 135 gal. with 2 dwarf angels, 6 line wrasse, and a blue manderin. I set it up by itself till it was on frozen food then put it in my 135. Its been about 7 months and no problems. I should mention that I have a huge population of shore shrimp and pepermint shrimp so theres a release of shrimp larva atleast once a week if not more. I did have 3 sailfins in there with it as well with no problems but gave them to a friend that was cycling a tank.
I should also mention that i feed the fish flake first then put mysis cubes in twice a day.
I should also mention that i feed the fish flake first then put mysis cubes in twice a day.
loneracer05
New member
Ok coool I will try to get pics of my bean......and tthats awesome with the sh in ur tank with those fish .... idk wat to do now
